Since January, a total of 1,618 British Columbians have contracted the virus, which has no cure, with 966 people recovering.

A total of 78 people have died.

The newly announced cases come hours after the province released its latest modelling for the virus, which suggested that some social contact restrictions implemented to curb COVID-19’s spread could be eased by the middle of May.

Health Minister Adrian Dix urged people to continue to follow those restrictions in order to successfully bend the curve.

“We are in the eye of the storm in a Category 5 hurricane. The risk is still very high and there are many unknowns, but we are hopeful that with all of us standing strong, the storm will continue to lessen,” Dix said in a statement.

“What happens next is directly tied to your continued efforts. We still have new cases, new outbreaks and tragically, new deaths. We cannot afford a resurgence that will undo all of the effort and sacrifices we have made so far.”